Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-05-07
Z PLUCKY INDIAN LAD.
lie Carries n White Messenger for
Miles on HIS Back Through blind.
Ing storm.

Miles on HIS Back Through UIIud.
In. storm.
\ san Francisco correspondent Of
Tie N,tC I0rE World writes: Alaska
mails Just received here give the story
Of AN act of hcrojsm on the part OF an
Indian lad VIII IA has perhaps hardly i
parallel Tor scli->IcrIuc NJ bravery aud
endurance. The indians of The interior
(CM!hats), although sOmswhlt de-
based Uy contact with the whites. arc
of i much higher grade 0: intcll genco
and character than tAc E-quimalN IF
Ihe coast. Ihs boy, only lS wears Old,
was selected py Thomas Williams. the
regular messenger from the camps
about The Stewart river. some 400 miles
inland, 10 accompany him to Juneau.
The Stewart river debOuchcs into the
Great Yuhoa just where the Becky
mountains has its beginning. Williams
aui the lad started " IT, Il team OF two
dogs and sled Tor juneau about the
middle OF February. They followed up
the course ot tine Yukon past FUrt
Scl&irk and along tine Lewis river
without incident mt they reached
Lake LcJargc. 80 miles from their
starting point Here one OF the dogs
gave out, and the Utucr died on rraCu-
inc the top OF the range between Lake
L barge and the coast. They then had
10 dras the sled themselves with the =
effects. A few dals farther on they
were OycrtIkrn bv Il severe snow-stUrm.
They were at = very high alt tuie. and
the cold WAS intense. But they strug-
g!ed ON br;Wclr. and finally. in II half
frozen C0ndit.Ou reached what i known
~ ''thc stone house. which i nothing
more .hau two large bOlwders, two
miles hclUw the sum nit of ne range.
Here they built themselves snow
house. and subs.Stcd tor five dIys with
out fire or food, exc .pt lit;Ie dry flour.
The white man WAS Uuily frozen. and.
what with the sudden change from the
intense cold outside to the warmth .;
the snow hut. he contracted pneumonia.
and WAS unable to help himself in the
least.
OF course. it would have been easy
for the lad. abandoning ms companion,
10 make his WAY back 10 his people,
but it appears that lie stood mantuIIy
BY Williams, nurs ng h M until, after
six dlys, he was able to continue his
journey. On this sixth day the half
famished travellers emerged from their
snow house, leaving all their elects
W thin, and started for ChilkOOt. Viii
ANS had gone but short distance
when h. gave ont and t III down again
in The snow to die, The heroic boy then
took the white man on his back and
resumed his lonely journey. The snow
lay abOJt two feet deep upon the ground
the storm was rag NJ furiously. ami
the cold was b tier, so that the
lad with the human burden on his
back. was five days making distance
of twelve miles. Then he was found
bv some Ch kat Indians. sled WAS
constructed. and BY their un tel efforts
Williams was brougt us far rs "Heaiy's
Store" where he died Il few hours lat
err For twelve days Williams and the
lad had no food
From Healy's the Indian boy was
brought down to Juneau on the st am
er Yukon. He WAS badly frozen ny
the terrible exposure lie suffered. and
one of his toes had been amputated,
hut he had so far recovered within q
few days of his arrival ut Juneau that
he exhibited the livclirst interest IN
many new and strange things that he
saw in the settlement. 1t was the
first time he had ever been to the coast
or had ever seen white men n any
numbers. lie had never seen 4 horse.
and accord ng to The A'dsta Free Press
OF Juneau. he ''gazed with und.sguised
awe upon Jimmy Shake coal-carJ and
horse" The Free Pr|Ss adds that
when he passed Cato. our colored fin
smith on the street, he stopped, looked
at h m. and then remarked: That
man must have been badly frozen to
come out so blacS."
The good people of juneau also man.
Tested great interest in the plucky boy,
and SURROUNDED him in every com 'OFt.
He was to stay there until the warm
weather. and will then return % his
home in Yukon. doubtless to be a great
man hereafter with his people for the
strange countries he has seem"